Breaking Point
by The Tooth Fairy
Summary: Itachi left someone else alive, though that person wished he didn't. He was only ten, how did they expect to deal with this? Join Shun as he tries to forget what happened. And keeps failing. WARNING: Noncon, not explicit. Will be Yaoi
1. Prologue: It Defines Who You Are

**_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Naruto. Someone else does.**

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Sceptical black eyes framed by a pale feminine face and soft pitch black hair regarded the slightly older boy of the same colouring and basic facial features. The boy opened his pouty but pale lips.

"You're not a weasel. You're a fucking stoat!"

The older boy blinked at the Branch House member crouched on the wall. "…Stoat?"

Uchiha Shun nodded cheerfully; seemingly smug that he had placed the young ANBU's animal counterpart.

Itachi's eyebrow rose curiously; a great feat as far as the stoic boy was concerned. "And you came to this deduction, how?"

Shun settled into a sitting position. "Well, the average Uchiha is most often in sync with either the ferret or the weasel as their animal counterpart, because they like to kill things but still retain a little affection and love attention. You, however, are a minority of the clan, in sync with a stoat because you live to kill and love it, you dislike attention, you're solitary and when something happens that you don't like, you get downright vicious."

Itachi pondered this for several moments before he conceded that the boy had a point. He gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. "And what, pray tell, are you?"

Shun looked vaguely startled as he had never really contemplated it before. His head tilted to the side as he thought.

Black eyes regarded the Uchiha Heir for a moment before he offered, "What do you think I am?"

Black eyes regarded the Uchiha Pest for a moment before he confirmed, "If I am a stoat and everyone else is a weasel or ferret, then you are a fox."

Shun blinked in surprised. A fox? "A fox? How'd you come up with that?"

Itachi smiled mysteriously, causing the world to tense in preparation for the apocalypse. "Figure it out. I'm sure you're smart enough."

Shun frowned thoughtfully at his older cousin's back as he walked out of the Zen garden.

(**space)**

Shun had contemplated Itachi's meaning behind calling him a fox for three days, nagging at him like a hangnail.

Only at the tender age of ten, Shun was three years younger than Itachi and two years older then the other one-Daisuke? Kosuke? Sasuke?-, and thus had never really had much contact with his third cousin aside from the odd clan function, but that didn't mean he hadn't watched and observed the prodigy, because, let's face it, Shun watched and observed everyone. The boy was a prankster and had to select his targets carefully, each prank designed expressly to get the maximum reaction.

Though, granted, Shun found it odd that in the activities requiring a partner at the functions, Itachi always homed in on the younger boy and never accepted no for an answer. Furthermore, as he pondered over the past few days, he had become aware that Itachi was, and had for some time, watching Shun with the same intensity Shun watched potential targets.

This made the younger boy feel funny; not bad, but he wasn't entirely sure it was good either.

After he realised this, he found himself blushing just thinking about the older boy.

Shun huffed and plonked down on the root of the oldest gingko tree right on the edge of the garden pond and fiddled with the soft sleeve of his totally black yukata as he watched a triad of koi fish swimming through the myriad of roots that grew into the water, absently chewing his lip in thought. He never noticed the object of his contemplation watching him from the shadow of a Sakura tree.

Itachi gazed long and heatedly at the boy beside the lake. He had no doubts that Shun had no idea how beautiful and alluring Itachi found the younger boy. The Uchiha Prodigy found everything about the boy captivating; the way the silky-soft smoky hair hung just past the slim shoulders and fluttered in the breeze, how the thick lashed ebony eyes half closed and those lips partially opened as he thought, the intensity of that black gaze as he stalked his targets, the lithe angle of those pale limbs, the long, delicate artistic fingers, the porcelain skin revealed as the yukata slid carelessly off a shoulder and the pale hand that absently played with a soft forelock.

Itachi pulled the ANBU mask over his face as he left the garden to complete the task at hand: The genocide of the Uchiha Clan.

Shun continued to watch the fish ponderously, unknowing, until the sky was a bright fiery orange. He stood and made his way out of the garden.

(**space)**

As soon as he left the garden, Shun knew something was wrong.

The air was still and quiet, but some heavy coppery scent hung strong and rank.

The ten-year-old moved forward cautiously into sight of the main street. There was someone on the ground and they didn't appear to be moving. The child's movement slowed to a crawl and his breathing became erratic. He reached the person.

Shun gagged, his hand flying to his mouth and he rapidly back peddled, his eyes caught on the gaping hole in his aunt's throat.

His gaze tore itself from the scene before him to an even worse one as he took in the many bloody corpses along the street. Young and old, male and female, Main House and Branch House, all lay in mute testament to the saying '_Sooner or later, graveyards are filled with everybody'_.

A child started screaming up in the Clan Head's house.

Without hesitating, Shun took off running towards the sound. He barely paused as he reached the open front door. As Shun quietly approached the room the screaming was coming from, the sound stopped.

Shun froze with his had about to open the sliding door as Itachi's voice sounded from inside the room. Trembling, Shun let his hand fall away from the door and he backed up slowly, too in shock to realise that he really should have been running away.

The ten-year-old got barely five feet down the hall when the door slid open and a blood-covered Itachi stepped out.

There was a soft scrap as Shun stumbled trying to reverse fast. Itachi turned at the sound and Shun was caught by the red gaze of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Itachi smiled.

**(space)**

Shun shivered and reached for his clothes, thankful that they were at least wearable. The muscles in his lower torso screamed in agony and the bite marks on his shoulders and neck shot lances of pain at the slightest movement, but still the boy struggled to his feet and dressed.

Itachi was long gone, and for that he was thankful. The Uchiha Monster had left Shun on the hallway floor nearly an hour ago after using him multiply, promising that he'd be back, and the boy was in so much pain that he hadn't been able to bring himself to move. But what about the child who was screaming earlier?

Shun staggered forward and pulled the door open.

The bodies of the Clan Head and his wife lay towards the centre of the room, but the younger boy, Sasuke, was curled on his side next to the door, out like a light. Shun shuddered and swayed a moment before he painstakingly pick the younger boy up bridal style.

Half and hour later found the boy staggering out of the Uchiha District with the child and down the empty streets towards the hospital some six blocks away.

He had no idea how long it took him, but before he knew it, Shun had wandered into the brightly lit area in front of the hospital and been spotted. Someone took the unresponsive Sasuke from him and pushed him down to lie on a stretcher.

He was vaguely aware of someone saying it would be alright, so he let himself succumb to the darkness that was calling his name.

(**space)**

When Shun woke, it was to a band of bright sunlight shining into his eyes. It was several moments before he became aware of agonising pain barely held in check by painkillers.

A keening sound escaped his throat and a cool hand was laid across his forehead soothingly.

"Hush, now. You're alright. You're safe now." This continued for a while before he fell back into a darkness haunted by what Itachi had done to him.

(**space)**

Shun awoke again, only this time it was night and his body was as numb as his emotions.

There was a slight shift of cloth to his right and Shun turned. The Sandaime Hokage was settled in a visitor's chair and was regarding the boy mournfully. The smaller form of Sasuke could be seen curled up on a two seater, sound asleep.

Shun turned his gaze back to the old man. He tried to speak but only a rasping sound came out. The Sandaime helped him sit up and sip from a glass of water. Shun tried again.

"Ho…How…lng…"

"How long have you been here?"

The boy nodded tiredly. "Yess."

"A little over a week. Sasuke hasn't left the room for anything since he woke six days ago." Sarutobi rubbed his eyes tiredly. "The medic-nin still have no idea how you walked here with a cracked pelvis, let alone carrying him." The old man gestured to the sleeping child.

"Di…did anyone else…?"

"No." Was the quiet reply. "Just the two of you."

Shun absorbed this for a few minutes before he spoke again.

"He said he would be back."

The Hokage stilled before responding carefully. "I see."

There was no more talking, just silence broken by Sasuke's occasional whimper.

(**space)**

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	2. Chapter 1: In the Pursuit of Death

_**Disclaimer:** I dun own Naruto. Someone else does. I only own Shun and anything else I created for him._

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It was a month before the two Uchiha were deemed fit enough to return to the academy.

Aside from the nightmares, emotional withdrawal and clinginess to his only surviving relative (whom he had only met a few times and never really spoke to), Sasuke had come out of the incident relatively unscathed; Shun was resentful that the kid only had to visit a child psychologist once a week.

Shun, however, was an emotional wreck. Three therapy appointments a week, two sedatives every four hours to keep the increasing fits of temper in check, sleeping pills every second night for the nightmares that caused him to wake screaming and chronic paranoia that Itachi would come for him at any given time.

Rather than having to return to the Uchiha compound, which Shun refused to do, the Sandaime had put the two boys into a large three bedroom apartment as soon as Shun had been released from the hospital at the boy's request. Everything in the apartment was new, also at Shun's request.

-'_I don't want anything of mine brought from my home unless I request it.'_

'_May I ask why?'_

'_At the moment I have to be strong for both Sasuke and myself. If I see something of sentimental value right now, I'll break down and probably never heal. I need time.'_

'_As you wish.'-_

**_(space)_**

The morning he would be returning to the academy, Shun stood before the bathroom mirror, his hair loose and a kunai in his hand.

-'_I love your hair. It's so long and soft. So beautiful…' A hand ran through the apple-scented locks.-_

The kunai came up and the boy hacked his hair off, long inky locks falling into the basin, until it was short at the back and curving into long bangs framing the face.

-_'I have yet to meet anyone who has a face as beautiful as yours.' Itachi licked the tears from damp cheeks.-_

A hand picked up the red and white face paint and applied it. A white base was applied and coated over with three red triangles curving over each sculptured cheek, red lips, red on the eyelids and a smaller red triangle hanging just above the eyebrows.

-_Red eyes gazed heatedly as the black yukata was removed from the paralysed boy. 'Always so modest.' The monster murmured almost affectionately.-_

The blue sleeping robe was removed and replaced by a skin tone singlet top and a crimson red fishnet tank top, fishnet fingerless gloves held up by small white leather ties clung to slim arms, red short-shorts held up by a white weapons belt hung off slim hips and white and red training wraps wrapped around the long legs, ending in the standard black ninja sandals.

Shun turned and left the bathroom, apathetic mask in place.

-_'You're nice…' Shun turned from his cousin's kiss. Itachi paused. '…But so cruel.'-_

'_I'll give you cruel, you heinous bastard.' _Was Shun's silent vow as he exited the apartment, leaving behind a startled Sasuke.

(**space)**

Uchiha Shun leant against the wall by the chamber door, absently reading his new fantasy/action/adventure novel and totally ignoring the screams from the enemy nin originating from the make-shift torture chamber.

Three years after the Uchiha Massacre, Shun had gone from the dead last of his year to Number One Rookie and was drafted right out of the academy (to the dismay of his fangirls) as a Hunter-nin by the Hokage after Shun had expressed an interest.

It was a well known fact among the ANBU, Hunter-nin and Jounin that the Sandaime had a soft spot for the Uchiha Branch House member almost as big as his soft spot for the Kyuubi Vessel, Uzumaki Naruto. Anyone who knew anything about the now unstable boy could tell that he all but adored the old man.

Uzumaki Naruto; no one but a select few higher ups knew how Shun had met and agreed to mentor the boy, but one day Shun had turned up after a particularly bad day for Naruto at the academy and had a nice little chat with them involving several kunai, charka strings and a candle about how wrong it was to feed an aspiring ninja false and incomplete information. Whenever he was in town, Naruto could be found attached and practically hanging off the older boy.

Many a business was ruined for refusing the blonde kid service when Shun was around. After the first ten or so went out of business, word got around. Since then, it hadn't been a problem for the blue-eyed blonde.

Sasuke absolutely adored his cousin and, of a night, could be found crawling into Shun's bed pleading nightmares regardless of wether or not the older boy was there. There had been a few sparks between Sasuke and Naruto at the beginning when Shun moved the blonde in with them until Shun had sat them down together and had a nice long monologue at them. The two started with bare tolerance, but they grew on each other like foot fungus and Sasuke began to come out of his shell.

These were the only three people Shun had anything remotely hinting at tolerance for. Even with the sedatives he was still on, the Hunter-nin's emotions swung violently between near total apathy, which was downright unnerving, and the vicious temper and unpredictability of his was legendary, and rightly so. Once when Shun had been physically unable to take his sedatives on a mission, thirteen enemy nin of various ranks had been badly wounded, eight very much dead and a further twenty six running from him hell-for-leather. It took nine Konoha ANBU to wear him down enough for a Hunter-nin to hit him with a tranquiliser laced senbon.

It wasn't so much that he was powerful, though there was that, but rather because he was so vicious, ruthless and persistent on the hunt, he was fast and not afraid to fight dirty, and also because his consistent ocean of rage bubbling beneath the surface pushed his Killing Intent up high enough to momentarily stun even elite ANBU.

While many thought Shun was a monster, no one could say Shun was heartless. Far from it, in fact. It was a well known fact that, with the permission of Sasuke, he allowed orphans unfortunate enough to not be adopted to take up residence in an Uchiha owned apartment building at lowered rent and gave them a liveable allowance, moreso if they joined the ninja academy. This was more than even the Council and various charity organizations did, even going so far as to personally check on the 24 orphans under his care.

In the part of life no one but the Hokage and the two boys who lived with him even gleaned a glimpse of, Shun was a closet bookworm and picker-upper of unexpected trifles, proving that he hadn't changed totally from what he had once been. His room was cluttered with trinkets, statuettes, carvings, scrolls, books of both fiction and non-fiction, weapons, clothes, scraps of cloth and various other bits and pieces, overall giving the appearance of an old Odds-and-Ends store. Sasuke and Sarutobi often wondered how Shun ever found anything in his room, though somehow Naruto was able to navigate the mess with few problems.

Another unexpected twist was that Shun was overly affectionate to his three precious people and it wasn't uncommon for shinobi to report to the Hokage and there Shun would be, seated on the chair arm, arms around the old man's shoulders and lounging against Sarutobi's side like a young child…only this child had a glare that promised brutal bloody _DEATH_ should anyone be so stupid as to comment. Sasuke and Naruto had also grown used to being randomly glomped for no real reason at any time in the apartment.

But you really didn't need to know all this right now, so I'll get to the point…

Uchiha Shun leant against the wall by the chamber door, absently reading his new fantasy/action/adventure novel and totally ignoring the screams from the enemy nin originating from the make-shift torture chamber.

The screaming broke off with the dull wet crunch Shun associated with a neck breaking, so he dog-eared the corner of the page and replaced the book into a summons scroll just as his newest in a long line of partners stepped out of the pseudo-torture chamber-oh! Excuse me; Interrogation Room. The higher ups had caught the 'Politically Correct' syndrome.

Shun vaguely wondered where all these rocks came from. They kept getting in the way of his trains of thought and derailing the whole damn system.

This one…Shun didn't like her much. Or at least he didn't understand her enough to _not_ not like her. She lacked the basic requirement of being a good ninja that was essential to _being_ a good ninja.

Even after Orochimaru had betrayed Konoha, Mitarashi Anko had stayed faithful to the Hokage – but Shun didn't know why, and that bothered him more than he was willing to admit. To show that kind of loyalty, only to render it useless with constant snide comments without any sense of tact…Anko was neither sane, nor a coward. Shun suspected that Anko was more than a little in love with death, to be truthful; just as Shun's older brother Ken'ichi had been, just as the Yondaime had been, just as the very best of ninjas all were.

Ken'ichi had been _wonderful_ in his recklessness and dark, vicious joy, the only thing Shun had inherited from him, chasing after his own death with laughter and shouts and wild, wild, determination. Anko was simply there, no life outside being a ninja, no precious people to protect, just teetering on the edge of insanity like a kamikaze ballerina with nowhere else to go; it wasn't just an addiction for her, but an obsession, morbid and uncontrollable, sinking into her and sapping her strength like some giant malevolent parasitic leech.

Shun suspected he despised Anko for this, although he wasn't entirely sure anymore. He found sometimes that it was very difficult to understand his own emotions, what he felt for others. It was easier to bury the troublesome thoughts away and ignore them. He found that he was burying a lot of things since that night.

Anko grinned nastily at Shun. "Hope I didn't scare the ickle Hunter-nin."

Shun gave her a look from behind his Hunter-nin mask. "Amateur."

Deciding that she was suitably offended from the barb, Shun moved forward and out the window; if they ran all night, they could make in back to Konoha before dawn.

**(space)**

"At the rate you're going, there won't be anyone left who will be willing to work with you." Sarutobi told the boy lounging across the desk in exasperation.

"Meh…" Shun shrugged, "It's hardly my fault that they lack something basic in the key components of being a ninja. Many of them are obsessed with death as opposed to people like me who chase after it, pursue it and dance around it when it comes after us like when you grab a tiger by the tail." Shun lifted a hand from behind his head and made gestures to enforce his point. "It is a song, danced to in pairs; the partners being Life and Death, each trying to dominate the other; Death chasing Life and Life avoiding the touch of Death because it knows that if Death touches it for even a moment, Life will become as Dead and Death will seeking another partner. However, Life also knows that one day Death shall dominate the dance and shall plan accordingly."

Shun sat up and looked at Sarutobi. He could see that the old man could understand what he was saying, but he could not understand the concept because, though it hurt Shun to admit, the Sandaime also lacked this driving need to pursue death. That was why Sarutobi was old; he had not died young and strong and immortal in battle as the other three Hokages had. Shun sighed.

"You don't understand."

Sarutobi frowned. "No. I can't say I do. However, I have always been curious as to why you like killing so much, and if what you just said is true, I can almost understand why you are so driven to be who you are."

Shun sighed again, only this time in exasperation. "It's not about the _killing_ so much as the planning, the fighting, the excitement of the moment as the adrenaline pumps through your veins at the thought that you may be killed. I call it battle joy, or battle lust; it's not the killing, it's the fighting. There is not thinking, no outside concerns, just you and them and always seeking the ultimate combat that will drive you to and beyond your limits. It's not fighting to win, it's fighting to fight. It's the adrenaline, the burning muscles, the heightening senses that keep you alive, the air rushing past you as you move. It is…" Shun struggled to find the words. "It is…knowing that you are alive, and that they are alive and that the winner gets to stay alive. It makes you_ feel_ alive."

Comprehension flared in the Hokage's eyes. He closed his eyes and nodded wisely. "I understand now." Dark eyes opened to regard the boy on his desk.

"You could have just said you were an adrenaline junky and I would have understood a lot sooner."

Shun sweat-dropped. He'd never thought of it that way.

"Eh…I guess you could put it that way." He murmured dubiously.

Sarutobi smiled cheerfully and went back to the masses of paperwork that was the bane of his existence.

**(space)**

**_Pleez review_**


	3. Chapter 2: As Ripples In A Pond

_**Disclaimer:** I dun own Naruto. Only Shun and anyone or thing I may introduce to help the story along._

_Thank you all for the reviews and here is the next chapter._

**space)**

Wave country, Shun decided, was a very nice place for a vacation. Sure it was poverty stricken, but there were warm sandy caves in abundance and the environment was simply gorgeous, if a little cold.

Shun had been sceptical about his enforced month long vacation, but he understood that Sarutobi wanted him out of Konoha until the incident with the Hyuuga Clan Head was sorted out. It had also been inferred that he would be placed on a genin team as soon as this year's batch passed the exam.

The Uchiha boy shifted lazily on the grass, content to doze peacefully in the sheltered clearing, caressed by the warm midmorning sun and the strong scent of the heather that grew on the rocky formation upwind.

Face devoid of paint and clad only in a loose bone-white tunic and shorts, his pills in a pouch tied to his waist, the boy fell into the deepest and most refreshing sleep since the Before Time.

(**space)**

"Hey! Wake up. If you sleep out here, you'll catch your death of cold."

Shun shifted and woke lazily, not sure who he was or where he was, still caught up in the warm fuzziness of a contented sleep as he opened his dark seal-like eyes and looked into a beautiful olive gaze. A word passed by the pale lips.

"…Mother…?"

Reality crashed in with stunning force, sending the order for Shun to sit up fast. The body complied, but fell back when two dark-haired heads met with a crack. Both teens fell back with a cry of pain, hands cradling their wounds.

"Gomen!" Shun ground out, blinking tears out of his eyes.

"I'm the one who should be saying sorry. It was my fault for startling you." The other teen gave a pained smile, head still cradled in hands.

"No, really, it was mine." Shun insisted as he tentatively removed his hand from the tender bump.

The other giggled, hand covering their mouth politely, and, for the first time in years, Shun gave a real smile in return.

Shun glanced up at the sky and blinked stupidly at the bright orange sunset. "I slept all day…" He murmured to himself in disbelief.

The other gave him an inquiring look. "What do you mean? That isn't so strange. After all, it was a nice day."

"I don't sleep well." The Uchiha answered distractedly as he gazed sleepily at the sunset, the warm air trying to entice him back to sleep. "Night terrors haunt my dreams so I can never sleep for more that two or three hours at a time."

"Oh…" Came the soft reply. Then, "What do you see?"

"What once was and can never be again. Corpses litter the street again and a child is screaming. I can never find them. I am always alone. No one to love. No one to hate. Just the red eyes that haunt the darkness of my mind and dog my steps with madness." It was only as pink clad arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug that Shun realised that he was silently crying, crystalline tears sliding down his cheeks.

Shun ignored the part of his mind screaming for him to run away and hide, lick his wounds, and turned into the hug as he cried for the first time since that night.

(**space)**

For the second time in the last two days, Shun woke from a deep and dreamless sleep. He was so warm that he didn't want to move, but there was something strange; not necessarily wrong, but strange nonetheless.

What was it? Shun frowned and shifted. He was in a bed and an arm had tightened around his middle. Nothing strange about that. Just Sasuke having crawled into bed with him again.

What was that smell? Like lavender and heather and thyme and a variety of other pleasant dried plant smells with an undertone of rain or snow. Shun shifted again and something soft slid across his cheek, filling his nose with the nearly forgotten scent of green apples.

The Hunter-nin opened his eyes and found himself looking into a beautiful sleeping face. The face was very feminine but there was a strongness to the jaw and an arch in the eyebrows that whispered 'male' to a keen eye. The skin was a smooth peach with slightly rounded cheeks which would loose their baby fat as the boy grew older, the eyelashes were very dark and long, only a few shades darker than the long dark, chocolate-coloured hair that made the boy's face seem paler than it was. Shun had a feeling that the eyes hidden by those lashes were a nice shade of olive.

The other boy shifted and sighed. Shun, in his still half-asleep daze, was not at all troubled now that he had found the source of the strangeness.

Shun went back to sleep.

(**space)**

The boy's name was Haku; he was fifteen, possessed an advanced bloodline called the Hyouton and was the apprentice of Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist.

Over the course of three weeks, Haku had invited Shun to stay with them until his holiday was over, thinking he was just a simple civilian with no idea that Zabuza, and hence himself, were upper class missing-nin. Shun was very much aware of this little fact and simply 'neglected' to tell them he was a Hunter-nin.

Haku was a hard person not to like. He was sweet, kind, gentle and everything boys wanted in their girlfriends. Shun and Haku often spent hours collecting herbs or playing with Haku's white rabbits he said were used for decoys. After he had expressed an interest, Haku had even started teaching him the uses of sendon and acupuncture.

It had taken a few days for Zabuza to warm up to Shun, but after that, the two had hit it off better than almost everyone, except Haku, Shun had ever met. The pink wearing boy had laughingly joked that it was because Zabuza and Shun were so much alike. Shun was so comfortable around the two, four when the Demon Brothers were around, that he had stopped having to take his sedatives and during the end of the third week he had sent a message hawk to Sarutobi with a question and a request for any laws pertaining to missing-nin from other Villages.

Sarutobi had sent back a small laws book on missing-nin in general, a bingo book and a letter of warning. Shun had replied and two had been arguing about the laws until the Sandaime had finally caved under Shun's arguments and the fact that the missing-nins had managed in three weeks what none had managed in three years.

(**space)**

Six days before Shun was scheduled to return to Konoha, a messenger hawk arrived with a scroll for Zabuza.

Haku and Shun had been sipping lemon tea and playing Go while Zabuza had been sharpening his sword, the Demon Brothers planning softly in the background, when the hawk wearing a Konoha Hitai-ate and bearing the scroll had winged its way through the window to perched itself on the arm of Zabuza's chair.

Zabuza regarded the bird for a moment, as did the other four in the room, before he asked, "And what is this?"

The hawk opened its beak and replied in a crisp clear voice, "Message for Zabuza of Hidden Mist from the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure."

The Mist Demon warily took the scroll and opened it. From their place on the floor, Shun and Haku could see that Zabuza was surprised by what he read as he had reread it four times before he lowered the page.

"What is it, taichou?" Asked one of the Demon Brothers, Shinji.

Zabuza continued staring into the fire for a few moments before replying. "It is an invitation for the four of us to join the Konoha ranks. Each of us were specifically named."

Haku's eyes widened. "I didn't think that was possible! If missing-nin can join other Villages, why isn't it more common?"

Zabuza frown in thought. A minute later, just as he opened his mouth to speak, Shun finally had enough of silence and broke in to speed up the process.

"Because missing-nin _can't_ just join another Village; they have to be invited by the Hokage, go through a screening process and spend three to twelve months on probation before they are officially instated as a shinobi of that Village. Furthermore, before the Hokage can even issue an invitation, the missing-nin, or as in this case missing-nins, have to be sponsored by a trusted existing shinobi of that Village with a good track record and field experience. The sponsoring must also be justified by the existing shinobi." Shun moved his piece. "Your turn."

There was silence for a while as no one moved. Shun looked up to find the missing-nin staring at him with varying degrees of disbelief. "What?"

"_You're_ a ninja?" The second Demon Brother, Shingo, choked out.

Shun frowned, feeling very much offended by that remark. "And _what_ do you mean by that, exactly?"

From the reactions of the Demon Brothers (who were trying to placate him franticly) Shun gathered that he had donned what he'd heard dubbed as 'The One-Wrong-Word-And-Your-Ass-Is-Grass' Glare™. It was a level eight on the Glare-O-Metre.

Shun, 'humphf'ed and turned his attention back to Zabuza, who had a speculating gleam in his eye. "So what are you gonna do?"

The Mist Demon settled back and regarded the boy thoughtfully, Haku fidgeting nervously in the background. "Wouldn't my joining Konoha cause tension between Leaf and Mist?"

The boy gave a half-hearted shrug. "Not really. If they complain, we can just point out that they took in four of our most wanted missing-nins in the last decade and _we_ didn't throw a fit about it."

Zabuza snorted. "What, exactly, could we hope to gain from allying ourselves with Leaf?" he inquired.

Shun rolled his eyes. Zabuza knew exactly what he would gain. "Home, safety from being hunted, honour, frequent missions with pay, possibly friends, so on, so forth." The Uchiha pondered for a moment. "And if you ever fell in battle, Haku wouldn't be left alone and without a home."

Shun's black eyes saw the flicker in Zabuza's eyes that said he was caught. "I'll think about it."

Shun smiled and, after a few tense minutes, Haku got the game of Go rolling again.

**(space)**

Five days later, Shun and Haku were merrily trotting along the main road of Konoha, humming loudly, Zabuza and the Demon Brothers slinking behind them, wary of the group of ten ANBU following at a safe distance.

Shun broke into a run as they reached the Hokage Tower, dragging the laughing Haku with him. Reaching the big double doors to the Hokage's office, the Uchiha threw them open and screamed at the top of his lungs, "JIJI-CHAAAAN!"

Sarutobi barely got time to look up from his papers before he was crash tackled over backwards, chair and all.

It was several minutes later that Shun loosened his grip enough for the world to stop spinning and oxygen to reached his brain. With the boy was still clinging around his neck, wiggling like an ecstatic puppy and babbling about how much the boy had missed him, Sarutobi fervently wished the ANBU guarding the door would stop laughing long enough to get the boy off before the missing-nin got here.

"Hokage-sama? Zabuza-san, Haku and The Demon Brothers to see you, sir."

The Sandaime mentally groaned. Too late.

A hand appeared from behind the desk and waved to dismiss the ANBU. "Thank you. That will be all." The hand disappeared and poked Shun in the ribs. "Off. You need to be on the other side of the desk for this."

Sarutobi had never seen the Uchiha boy so cheerful before, and truthfully, he found it downright scary.

**(space)**

After three hours later, Zabuza and the Demon Brothers were in a room in the Hokage Tower, filling out forms and taking tests while Shun dragged Haku to the Ninja Academy to take the genin test since the older boy was never exactly instated as a ninja before leaving Water Country, and thus had no rank as a shinobi.

Reaching the correct room, and scaring the beejeebies out of countless shinobi of various ranks when they saw the Uchiha Bomb being so unbelievably _cheerful_, Shun hammered on the door and slammed it open.

Haku blushed when he saw that everyone, students and teachers alike, were staring at them, but Shun, in his golden bubble of perkiness, just ignored it and bounced over to the teacher's desk, leaving Haku to scurry after him.

Shun shoved the scroll into the face of Naruto's only nice instructor, Umino Iruka. Iruka read the scroll and smiled at the now thoroughly cowed Haku, kindly.

"It is a pleasure to have you with us, Haku-san. I am Umino Iruka and this is Mizuki. We are the instructors for the exam today. You will be required to produce a perfect henge and three bunshins to pass. Okay?"

"Ano…I never learnt the bunshin no justu. Would a mizubunshin suffice?"

The instructors blinked in shock for a moment before nodding in sync, still speechless.

Iruka shook himself free of his stupor and gave the two older boys a warm smile. "Alright Haku-san, before you take your seat, would you give us your surname as someone neglected to give it to us." Iruka looked at the Mist-nin expectantly as the boy began to turn red with embarrassment and fidget.

Shun gave Iruka a look before supplying a name he vaguely recalled reading in junction to a reference to the Hyouton. "Mizuno."

Not giving the instructors any time to ask more questions, the younger boy dragged the elder up to sit with Sasuke, Naruto and a girl whose name he vaguely recalled as being associated with a flower.

(**space)**

**I don't really remrember what the Demon Brother's names are, so I made them up. ;-)**

**Also, Shun will not be uber cheerful all the time, just when he's not either pissed off or on his meds.**

**Pleez review.**


	4. Chapter 3: You're Chasing Your Tail

**_Disclaimer:_** **I don't own Naruto, only Shun and anything I make up to go with him.**

**Note:** Izumi in this story is based off of Izumi Curtis from Fullmetal Alchemist.

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Shun was back on the drugs not fifteen minutes into the genin exam because an unfortunate Jounin had arrived with a missive from the Hokage saying he had a therapy appointment which he had ten minutes to get to.

The Jounin was given a free trip out the window and Shun was off to see his thirteenth therapist in three years; who, by the way, had lasted by far the longest. Her name was Akimichi Izumi, first cousin to Tsunade, the Slug Sannin ,who married into the Akimichi Clan, and truthfully, Shun had a great deal of respect and not a little fear for the woman.

The androgynous Uchiha tentatively knocked on the kitchen door and waited for either Izumi or her husband, Sudo, to open the door.

Shun cringed and fidgeted under the obsidian gaze of Izumi. The Akimichi Matron, as she was sometimes called by the Akimichi, had once been a great medic-nin nearly as sought after as her cousin Tsunade. However, unlike the legendary sannin, Izumi worked in the mental and emotional arena. After no one else would agree to take on the temperamental child after his twelfth therapist mysteriously turned up hung up by his ankles from the left nostril of the Shidaime's nose, Izumi had come forward. Izumi had been a friend of his mother during the ninja Academy days and had come out of retirement to treat him. As a young child, Shun had looked forward to the older woman's visits; he had wanted to marry her when he grew up.

Izumi, a tall, fit woman with ivory skin, black hair tied in a high pony-tail and black eyes like gimlets, was an all-round snarky, cynical, sarcastic and child hating valkyrie; which, Shun reasoned, was probably the reason she got on so well with children. Nary a day went by that kids came to her with a skinned knee or a wounded animal. Unfortunately, Izumi had a stare that could make even Morino Ibiki fidget guiltily, regardless of actual guilt; he knew, he'd seen it.

"You're late. In." Izumi reach out and pulled him into the house by his head. The kitchen was small, cool and homey with clay coloured walls, a large blacked iron stove and a single small window over the sink. Shun settled into one of the worn wooden chairs at the scarred worktable in the centre of the room. They had tried every room in the house and he was most comfortable in the kitchen. Izumi suspected that it had something to do with his mother's love of cooking and being in various kitchens throughout his younger years.

After pouring Shun's green tea, Izumi regarded the boy over the rim of her cup. He seemed different, more relaxed. "Tell me about what had happened since last I saw you."

Izumi was perplexed by the change in her patient; the more he told, the more relaxed he became.

From what she knew, the Uchiha Clan was like a massive family that squabbled, bitched and griped, and yet at the same time closed ranks and viciously protected their from any and all threats; which, she knew, was odd for one of the more powerful clans.

Take the Hyuuga for example. The Uchiha were arrogant, it was true, but they recognised power when it came along and didn't alienate the Branch House members by putting a pain-giving Seal on them to control them. Hyuuga and Uchiha were as different as ice and fire.

As an Uchiha, Shun had grown up in a protective, but not stifling, family environment interconnected by a network of aunts, uncles and cousins who gave him the attention and affection he required. Izumi supposed Shun had withdrawn and his resulting actions and emotions were caused by continuing shock, denial and distress, only recently starting to give in acceptance.

If Izumi was correct, Shun had 'recovered' for his ordeal in an environment he was comfortable in and subconsciously knew he could let loose his defensive behaviour safely. Unfortunately, he had grown too used to this defensive behaviour and used it constantly. It was only recently, when he came into contact with these missing nin, that he had returned to his original behavioural patterns because of the shock to his system, which, with its knew way of behaving, was unable to cope with this new scenario of dealing with people who knew nothing of his history and would, therefore, not understand his way of coping with his distress.

The older woman made a mental note to mutilate Itachi if she ever saw him.

Shun finished speaking and sipped his fifth cup of tea, waiting for his therapist to finish absorbing his word.

The Akimichi Matron drained her clay cup and once again regarded her patient. "How long has it been since you've been to the Uchiha District."

**_(space)_**

By sunset, the older Uchiha was curled around his blankets, on his bed, glowing golden orange from the light filtering in from the large window at the end of the bed, his CD player repeating a random song called 'Papercut'.

Izumi had only managed to coax the young shinobi three houses into the District before he had bolted at the first bloodstain on the ground. Last had seen the woman, she had been heading for the Hokage Tower.

Shun wasn't proud of running away, but he knew no one would think to look for him in his bedroom. In a tree, by the lake, on a bridge, at a training ground; yes. In his bedroom; no.

Since he'd taken off, he had seen no one and he wasn't hungry, since, oddly enough, he never really ate much. It was decided early on that he'd developed an eating disorder, further screwing up his life. Shun was not pleased.

He grabbed a book from his bedside table and proceeded to read, getting up only once to close the curtains and turn on the light.

**_(space)_**

Shun woke late, which was very odd for him. The clock read 11:42am.

Frowning, he reached over and turned off the CD player and put the still open book back on the bedside table. Rolling onto his back, Shun blinked sleepily a few times and stretched, cracking a few joints in the process.

The boy rolled out of bed and wandered out into the kitchen to make a cup of tea and, his personal favourite, caramel dumplings. He'd just finished his second dumpling and his third cup of tea when Sasuke came home. The younger boy blinked at his cousin, shocked to his little navy sandals.

"Where the hell have you been? The Hokage had Shinobi of all ranks looking for you and Naruto all night!"

Shun blinked, still sleepy from just waking up and numb from the sedatives. "Hmm? Really? Silly them." He sipped his tea. "I've been in my room since yesterday afternoon." Shun stood and stretched. "I guess I should go report in to the old man, then." As he walked past, he patted Sasuke on the head. "Congrats on making Genin."

**_(space)_**

"Where have you been? We've been worried about you!"

Dark eyes regarded the gathering around the Hokage's desk. The Hokage was there, of course, but so was Naruto, Iruka, Haku, Zabuza, Izumi, her husband Sudo and various other ninja he was on speaking terms with.

Shun gave them a Look. "I have been in my room reading and sleeping." He informed them in the same manner as one might speak to a particularly slow child.

After everything was sorted and everyone had left, including Naruto whom Shun would speak to at home, Sarutobi motioned for the boy to be seated.

"As you may have guessed, you will be placed in a Genin Cell. We have decided that it would be better for you to be placed with Zabuza as your Jounin sensei and Haku as your team mate. Since the two of you are already advanced passed Chunin level, we thought it best if the three of you observe the passing students for this and last year to find the fourth you believe would be compatible for you to work with."

Shun pondered this and nodded. "Do you have the files on them?"

Sarutobi gestured to a pile of manila folders. "Choose carefully and keep in mind that Haku and Zabuza also have to work with them. And you can't just trade them in if it doesn't work out."

Shun nodded and left.

Sarutobi sighed. Whoever was chosen would be thrown into the water to sink or swim with that lot.

**_(space)_**

Shun muddled through the folders for two hours and came up with four possible candidates.

Aburame Shino showed promise. This boy in Naruto and Sasuke's graduating class was as stoic and unmoving as everyone else in the Aburame Clan. This particular clan was well-known for their connection with their kikai insects which fed on chakra. Shun had worked with one of Shino's cousins and had found them to be dead useful.

The next to catch Shun's attention was Hyuuga Neiji. Neiji had graduated last year as the Rookie of the Year. Shun had met Neiji and found him to be a component solitary ninja, but his Hyuuga arrogance stunted his teamwork ability. The folder was tentatively placed with Shino's.

Third was Nara Shikamaru who was hailed a super genius. A lazy super genius. Since both Haku and Shun were also geniuses, it would be likely that between the two of them, added to Zabuza's intimidation factor, they would be able to utilise the boy's clan abilities with shadows and intelligence to full capabilities.

The last and only girl was another Hyuuga. Hyuuga Hinata. Sure the girl had confidence issues but the stuttering set his teeth on edge. Hinata showed potential if only she could be confidant in her own abilities. That and he had actually noticed her chronic stalking of Naruto.

Sighing, Shun got up to go find his other two team mates when it occurred to him; Where the hell were they staying anyway?

**_(space)_**

**_Not sure who I should make the third Genin from these four, but suggestions and reasons for the placement are welcome._**

**_'Papercut' is by Linkin Park. I felt it was suitably angry and soothing at the same time._**

**_Pleez review._**


	5. Chapter 4: Run Away, Rabbit

**_Disclaimer:_** I own nothing origninally from Naruto.

* * *

First order of business was to find the rest of his team. To do this, Shun had three options; a) look for them himself, b) ask Sasuke and Naruto, or c) ask old man Hokage.

Heh, tough choice.

The Uchiha ignored the secretary for the third time in as many days and approached the ANBU on guard duty.

"Is he talking to anyone at the moment?"

The Hawk masked ANBU shook her head. "Nope. Just paperwork. I'm sure he would welcome a distraction." Shun nodded his thanks and went in.

Shun didn't get on well with Academy students, or even genin for that matter, he thought most Chunin, especially the new ones, were arrogant, the Jounin he could tolerate if they didn't talk to him, the other Hunter-nin loathed him almost as much as he loathed them, he never really came into contact with Special Jounin so he had no problem with them (mostly, Anko was a bit of a bitch), but, strangely enough, the ANBU women adored him and the ANBU men found him a continuing source of amusement. There was a betting pool for whenever someone pissed him off.

"Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi paused mid-kanji and looked up, smiling at the boy in the doorway. "Shun. I take it you have chosen a team-mate?"

Said boy shrugged as he closed the door before moving towards the chair in front of the desk. Once comfortably curled into the chair, Shun put the two piles of folders onto the desk. "Kinda. I have selected four potentials from the offered candidates. All I need now is to discuss them with Zabuza and Haku, which brings me to my next question."

During Shun's report, Sarutobi had picked up the smaller pile and had gone over the four he had chosen out of the sixty-three who had passed the genin Academy exam this year and last; he had been hoping for more, at least ten. "And what might that be?"

"Where did you put them?"

The old man looked up. "Pardon?"

"Where did you put my team? You didn't tell me."

"Oh. Zabuza and Haku are in the apartment two doors down the hall from your own while Shinji and Shingo are in an apartment two floors below you."

"Oh. Thanks."

Sarutobi gave the four folders back and Shun went on his merry way, leaving the poor Sandaime to the odious task of battling the rising tide of paperwork.

(space)

Given that Shun was still in the Hyuuga black books for that little incident with Hiashi and the chloroform, Haku was chosen to check out and test Hyuuga Hinata and Neji, while Zabuza went to observe the Aburame kid.

As it was, Shun was starting to get really frustrated with this Shikamaru kid; he hadn't moved from his spot on the ground for a little over two hours!

Finally deciding that this was not a venture worth cramping legs over, he settled both his mildly sadistic urges and the question of whether the kid deserved to be a ninja by the age old practice of Dodge Kunai (a variation of children's dodge ball).

After the initial warning kunai which got him on his feet, Shun had to admit the kid could move.

It was dark by the time Shun got bored and he was positive that the Nara kid had had the biggest workout of his life. Shun settled onto a branch so he could observe the kid in his brief workout break and review his track record for this little exercise.

The kid was breathing lightly but rapidly, sweating like a pig, obviously freaked out and suffering chakra exhaustion. Throughout the test he had exercised good tactics, (but nothing Shun couldn't counter) decent and knowledgeable use of basic and family jutsus, (which, by the way, didn't work) and his dodging and attempted counterattacks weren't half bad (the dodging went well but the counters stunk because he never actually saw his target).Overall, the kid had potential.

Deciding the kid had had enough, Shun called out a simple "Break time! See you tomorrow!"

There was time to catch the look of unholy terror on the kid's face before Shun took off for home, cheerful grin in place.

The Uchiha stopped to thank the pair of ANBU who had been standing guard around the area.

The two waved it off with a laugh. "You kidding? It was amusing as hell watching him running around like a rabbit."

The three parted ways, still chuckling.

(space)

"Well, he can move, I'll give him that. And he's not half bad at strategy when he's running for his life."

"…What did you do that had him running for his life?"

"Target practice. Lanokota and Kamitsu stood guard for me."

Zabuza grimaced in time to be caught by Haku as he stormed into the room.

Shun spoke before the enraged Hyouton user could. "I take it that Neji's a 'no' then."

"Not only a 'no', but 'hell no'! The guy's an unscrupulous jerk! You should see how he treats his cousin. The poor girl's terrified of her father, her sister hates her and her cousin, whom she treats as family, beats the crap out of her under the excuse of 'training'."

"And the girl?"

Haku sighed. "I like Hinata, but I don't think any of us will be able to sync well with her."

"So neither of the Hyuuga and the Aburame kid was interesting, but I don't think either of you could ever be comfortable with him. He's too quiet."

Shun looked between the two when both Zabuza and Haku turned to look at him. He sighed. "He's lazy; lots of time and effort will be needed to get to the point where he'll do stuff when he's not pushed."

Haku gave him a look. "Do you think you could work with him?"

Shun gave a nasty little grin. "I know I can enjoy torturing him under the guise of 'training'. And I'm sure he'll make a good moving target."

There was silence before Haku gave Zabuza a pointed look. "I told you the two of you were similar."

Shun and Zabuza gave identical smiles. Haku felt a promotional shiver go down his spine.

(space)


End file.
